CRUISERS SIT in front of the entrance to the Fort Andross Mill complex on Maine Street in Brunswick as police investigate a shooting that took place in the building Tuesday.
Editors note: The Times Record does not normally report on suicides unless they occur in a public place.
Brunswick police say a man is dead after shooting himself inside a doctor’s office in the Fort Andross Mill complex on Maine Street on Tuesday.
Brunswick Police Cmdr. Tom Garrepy said Brunswick police, fire and EMS were alerted to the shooting at 9:29 a.m.
Garrepy did not have further information Tuesday about the identity of the man, who was alone in a third-floor doctor’s office when the shooting occurred.
Detectives are still looking into what triggered the incident, which is still under investigation.
Brunswick police clarified in a post on its Facebook page that the incident was “not an active shooter situation,” as had apparently been rumored.
Several people took to Facebook to offer their condolences for the victim’s family and praised the first responders.
Jean Ann Williams, who works on the same floor of the doctor’s office at Fort Andross, writing on Facebook, praised police and fire departments for their fast response times.
Williams recalled how she and her coworkers went into “lockdown” when the gun fire was reported, “which is what we are trained to do.”
“I cannot stress enough that all businesses, whether you are dealing directly with the public or not, have a plan in place in case something like this happens in your location,” Williams wrote, while noting that at no time was the staff at her office in danger. “There are some tragedies that you never expect. You need to know how to deal with this if it happens in your location whether you are affected directly or indirectly.”
Suicide rates increase in the spring. According to the Maine Suicide Prevention Program, there have been 689 deaths by suicide in Maine between 2011 and 2013.
During that period, suicide was the first leading cause of death for Maine adolescents between the ages of 10 and 14, second among Maine residents between 15 and 34 years of age, and fourth among Maine residents between the ages of 35 and 54.
“The best way to know whether or not someone is suicidal is to ASK!,” the MSPP website states. “Whether or not you know the warning signs of suicide, if for ANY reason you think someone might be suicidal, it is perfectly OK to ask. You will not cause suicide by asking and you may very well save a life. Suicidal individuals are in a lot of pain, and the very fact that someone has noticed, has expressed concern and asked about suicide, can provide the relief and time needed to explore other options and get help.”
To speak with a trained crisis clinician 24 hours a day, seven days a week in Maine, call Sweetser’s Crisis Services at 1-888-568-1112. If out of state, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK.
For more information, visit the MSPP website at www.maine.gov/suicide.
John Swinconeck contributed to this report.
dmoore@timesrecord.com
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